Chester the cat, on the lam for almost a month and running free at the Montreal airport, was found on Wednesday and will soon be reunited with his owner.
“Yesterday morning we were advised by the Montreal Airport Authority team that they located Chester the cat on Montreal Airport grounds. We picked him up,” said Air Canada spokesperson Isabelle Arthur.
“As soon as we confirmed it was Chester we advised his owner. Chester went through a full checkup at a local veterinary and was given a clean bill of health.”
The saga of the feline fugitive dates to May 21, when Surrey, B.C. resident Amanda Stewart was informed the pet she bought from a Quebec breeder had escaped from a cat carrier at Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport.
Stewart had paid $1,200 for the cat, which was supposed to be shipped by Air Canada to Vancouver. But the cat managed to get out of his cage in the cargo area and was nowhere to be found.
The owner worried about catnappers and other nefarious scenarios. There are falcons at the airport to discourage seagulls and other birds that represent a danger to jet engines. Falcons are also partial to small cats.
Stewart established a Facebook page reaching out for help in Montreal, and volunteers searched West Island backyards and fields around the airport.
On Wednesday morning, Air Canada was advised by Aeroports de Montreal that a cat matching Chester’s description was seen near a fence on airport grounds, and employees managed to cage the animal.
“Chester has been picked up by the breeder tonight and is at his old home resting. When we find out when Air Canada is able to fly him safely to us, I will let you all know,” Stewart posted Wednesday on her Facebook page.
Arthur said: “We want to thank all people involved, from our employees who have been on the lookout day and night for the past month, to ADM’s different teams, and all the people who contacted us after we posted his picture across the West Island.”